The Philippines won the two silver medals and a bronze in the individual triathlon contests of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) held yesterday in Thailand. The two silver medalists Kira Ellis (women’s triathlon) and Andrew Kim Remolino (men’s triathlon) delivered their best as they encountered strong competitors in their respective races while also struggling with health problems.
To put things in perspective about the Philippines’ gold medal victories in the all-men relay and all-women relay contests, posted below is an excerpt from the sports news report of One Sports. Some parts in boldface…
Despite battling food poisoning, Philippine triathletes Kira Ellis and Kim Remolino pushed through to claim silver in their individual events, with Fernando Jose Casares bagged bronze at the 2025 SEA Games.
Kira Ellis didn’t just race against the field in the women’s individual triathlon at the 33rd SEA Games—she also raced against her own body.
The 19-year-old Filipino triathlete revealed she was hospitalized after falling ill following the team relay events, leaving her with limited time to recover ahead of the individual race. Yet when it mattered most, she still found a way to stand on the podium.
Despite the health scare, Ellis bagged silver to add another chapter to what has been a breakout 2025 SEA Games campaign in Thailand.
She finished with a time of 01:01:03, while Indonesia’s Martina Ayu Pratiwi claimed gold in 01:00:11. Singapore’s Herlene Natasha Yu Zhihui rounded out the podium with 01:02:41.
Ellis and Ayu were virtually even through the swim, bike and even on both T1 and T2 transitions, but Ayu edged ahead during the run, covering the final leg 45 seconds faster than the Philippine triathlete.
“It was a crazy lead-up to the individual race,” Ellis shared in a post-race interview. “I got food poisoned after the triathlon relays and I was at the hospital that night. We were supposed to be resting in between the days before this.“
The illness also struck close to home, as teammate Raven Alcoseba was forced to miss the individual event after suffering the same fate.
“I was lucky I got it earlier and had a day to rest,” Ellis said. “She got it the night before, and it was really unfortunate. She should be here more than me—she’s our strongest athlete. I’m really heartbroken that we couldn’t race together because I know we could’ve done it side by side.”
Already proven on the international stage—most recently winning the Europe Triathlon Junior Cup in Riga, Latvia—Ellis admitted the illness took a physical toll, but it never broke her focus.
“It did affect my energy, but the training was there,” she bared. “Despite everything, you just have to block it out and give your best.”
The silver medal capped a demanding schedule that saw Ellis compete in five events at the Games, walking away with an impressive haul: two golds in the women’s and mixed team triathlon, plus silvers in the mixed team aquathlon, the all-women relay, and the individual race.
By the time she crossed the finish line, the result felt bigger than any medal.
“I’m happy. I raced in five events, and I couldn’t be prouder of my teammates. Everyone came here and gave their best,” Ellis said.
In the men’s individual event, the Philippines celebrated a strong showing as Kim Remolino and Fernando Jose Casares claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
But it was Rashif Amila Yaqin of Indonesia who stole the spotlight, clocking a winning time of 54:37 to dethrone Casares, who had taken gold in the same event at the 2023 edition in Cambodia.
Remolino — much like Ellis — had to battle through the lingering effects of food poisoning and went head-to-head with Yaqin throughout the race.
The Filipino triathlete matched Yaqin with a 28:31 bike split, but the Indonesian pulled ahead in the swim and run to keep the gold out of reach. In the end, he crossed the finish line at 55:03, while teammate Fernando Jose Casares settled for 56:56.
Silver medal of SEA Games mixed relay captured
The other day (December 18), the Philippines won the silver medal of the mixed relay duathlon contest thanks to the combined efforts of Erika Burgos, Maynard Pecson, Merry Joy Trupa, and Franklin Ferdie Yee. Posted below is an excerpt from the sports news report of ABS-CBN.
The mixed team relay of Erika Burgos, Maynard Pecson, Merry Joy Trupa, and Franklin Ferdie Yee copped a silver for the Philippines in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games duathlon competitions at the Laem Mae Phim Beach in Rayong, Thailand.
The squad clocked one hour, 35 minutes, and 35 seconds to secure a podium finish on Thursday, sneaking in to grab a medal after running fourth at one point in the race.
Trupa helped the Philippines move in contention for a medal when she clocked the best time of 24:26 among the participants in the third leg.
The anchor Yee closed the race with the second-best time with 23:18 to finish the race that featured a 2km run, 8km bike, and 1km run course.
The Indonesia team of Martina Ayu Pratiwi, Azizah Khunsul Qotimah, Ronald Bintang Setiawan, and Alias Praji took the gold in 1:33:58. Singapore clinched the bronze with a time of 1:36:47.
The women’s and men’s team relay both finished fourth, the day after the Philippines swept all three events in the triathlon relay events.
Praise and thank the Lord for the victories the multisports team of the Philippines achieved in the 2025 SEA Games.
To receive more triathlon and multisport updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil.
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